Afternoon Tea at Mosaico is something that has been on my must-do wish-list for a very long time now. I’m not generally an Afternoon Tea aficionado but that has more to do with the lack of friends willing to accompany me for hoity-toity finger sandwiches, and nothing to do with my love for tea.  I finally got to indulge in the afternoon Tea at Mosaico during my staycation at Palazzo Versace earlier this month.

Mosaico is essentially the lobby lounge at Palazzo Versace. First impressions do matter, and the first impression you get as soon as you step into Palazzo Versace and get one look at the gold-detailed high ceilings and the mosaic work in the lobby lounge (hence the name Mosaico), is enough to sweep you off your feet.

The hand-crafted marble mosaic in the lobby lounge spans to 1000 sqm, and this masterpiece comprises of 1.5 million pieces of mosaic produced by FANTINI Group! I have been to Palazzo Versace numerous times, but Mosaico always, always impresses me to the point of feeling a little lightheaded! The decor in Mosaico is inspired by the Heritage pattern from the Versace archive. If you go in good weather, you can even enjoy sitting outdoors.

I went for Afternoon Tea at Mosaico with a friend (which is served everyday from 3-6pm), and we ordered one each of the two types of Afternoon Teas the offer. One is the Classic Afternoon Tea and one is the newly introduced Chocolate Afternoon Tea.  The former retails at AED 240, and the latter (and newly introduced one) at AED 280.

At first glance both tiered servers look identical to you, but a closer look reveals subtle but tangible differences. The Classic Afternoon tea is exactly what you’d expect: pastries, scones, and finger sandwiches. It is extremely popular with a regular and loyal clientele, but I don’t see myself going back and paying premium for it because (barring the gorgeous decor) nothing about it really stood out and differentiated it from the dozens of other Afternoon Teas in town.  The one that stood out and is calling me back is the Chocolate Afternoon Tea.

The Classic Afternoon Tea comes with 5 types of desserts, scones and finger sandwiches. The Chocolate Afternoon tea has elements of either milk, dark or white chocolate in all 5 desserts, chocolate chips in half the scones, and even some of the the savory options have chocolate in them.

I absolutely loved the focaccia with pesto and burrata, and could have had half a dozen of those alone. I could detail every item in the tiered server and list everything I loved about the Chocolate Afternoon Tea, but I’d suggest you go try it for yourself.

Big thank you to Shaazia, the manager who I feel I can become great friends with and bond of American sitcoms with, and our poised server, Daisy.